


Petits Fours

by magpiesandmabari



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magpiesandmabari/pseuds/magpiesandmabari
Summary: Surana's a little homesick and pensive, Alistair wants to help.





	Petits Fours

“I’ve just realised something.”  
  
Alistair looked up from stoking the dying embers of the fire, frowning as he noticed the way she held herself; small and sad.  
  
“What is it?” He asked softly.  
  
"It was my birthday three days ago.”  
  
His face fell. Had she told him before and he’d forgotten? The others hadn’t said anything, though he didn’t expect Morrigan or Sten to care. But surely Leliana would have reminded him if she knew?  
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.”  
  
Yana shook her head, hugging her knees to her chest. “It’s alright. It’s not even that important, but it feels odd to have missed it.”  
  
He shuffled closer, nudging her with his shoulder.  
  
“How old are you now, if it’s not impolite to ask a lady?”  
  
She offered him a small smile as she turned to look at him. He blushed faintly, despite himself. He always did whenever she smiled his way and she looked especially pretty in the dim firelight. “For you, I’ll make an exception. I’m eighteen.”  
  
He nodded slowly, brow furrowed again. She was so young and already been through so much. They both were, when he thought about it.  
  
He remembered Duncan telling him about her at Ostagar- how quickly she’d passed her Harrowing and that she was exceptionally gifted. He’d expected to be faced with someone like Morrigan; haughty and uptight, looking down their nose at him as most mages tended to. Instead, he was met with a beautiful elven girl with the dirtiest laugh he’d ever heard and the sense of humour to match, smiling so brightly at him in that ruin he’d forgotten where he was for a moment.  
  
He shook himself out of his thoughts as he realised he’d been quiet for far too long, though Yana didn’t seem to notice.  
  
“So…did they ever do anything special in the Circle? On birthdays, I mean.”  
  
Yana shook her head. "Not really, no. But Jowan, my…friend. He used to sneak out sweets from the kitchens meant for the Senior Enchanters, especially when I was small.” Her smile faded. “He was quite good at that, ironically.”  
  
“Jowan? He’s the blood mage who-”  
  
“Who got me into this mess, yes.” She said, tone sharper than expected. It seemed to surprise herself as much as it did Alistair. She sighed heavily, an invisible weight making her shoulders sink low.  
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just…I can’t believe he lied to me. He was the closest thing I had to family in that place and he didn’t trust me…” She bit her lip, blinking rapidly as if to stop herself from crying. Alistair hesitated before reaching over to hold her hand reassuringly, Yana looking up at him with a watery smile and squeezing back tightly.  
  
She swallowed hard, turning her attention back to the fire.  
  
"I _know_ he’s a good person.” She said quietly. “Unless he’s a better liar than I ever realised, he’d never hurt anyone on purpose. Sometimes…sometimes the Circle pushes people too far. I never thought he’d be one of them, though. I don’t think anyone did.”  
  
Alistair stayed quiet. In his mind, blood magic was never something one simply fell into and its’ adherents were not to be trusted, but he knew better than to argue when she was obviously still hurting.  
  
“I just…I just hope he’s alright, wherever he is. He doesn’t deserve to suffer.”  
  
“If he’s half as smart as you are, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”  
  
He could see the corner of her mouth lift slightly.  
  
“Thank you,” She said softly, black-brown eyes meeting his and at last it seemed the sadness behind them had lifted. He nodded, thumb lightly running over her knuckles.  
  
“You should get some sleep, you look exhausted.”  
  
“But it’s my turn to be on watch tonight?”  
  
“Leave Doug with me and we’ll call it even.”  
  
She looked as though she was about to argue but had to stifle a yawn. Maybe he was right. She whistled for the Mabari, who obediently came trotting over and sat beside her.  
  
“Look after Alistair for me, alright? He needs the help.” She said as she scratched the dog behind his ears, Doug answering her request with a low, rumbling bark. Alistair grinned, shaking his head and watching her as she stood, stretching. Never too sad to make fun of him, clearly.  
  
“I’ll see you two in the morning, then.” She said, giving him a small wave before she turned and walked away.  
  
Alistair sighed as she disappeared from view, Doug whining and nudging his shoulder insistently.  
  
“Am I that obvious?” He murmured, roughly running his hands over the dog’s back. “But what do I do?”  
  
Doug flopped down to the ground, rolling over with his legs in the air. Alistair snorted.  
  
“Might be a _bit_ soon for that, mate.”

-

A couple days later, she found him waiting outside her tent one morning.  
  
"I've got something for you,” he said, rocking on his heels excitedly and holding a small paper parcel. Yana looked between him and the package, surprised. His bright expression faltered a little at her hesitation.  
  
“It’s not much, I know, but there was a merchant passing by on the road while I was on watch and-”  
  
She took it from him, carefully untying the string that held it together. It fell open and inside, were a handful of delicately made petits-fours. Some dressed with elaborately piped icing, some with candied fruit and nuts. She could smell the cinnamon wafting from them as soon as she’d opened it.  
  
“Do…you like it?” He asked her, nervously fiddling with his gauntlets. Yana nodded slowly, still taken aback by the gesture.  
  
“They’re almost the same,” she said softly, looking up at him. “Thank you, Alistair. This is so kind of you.”  
  
He relaxed, shrugging. “It’s nothing, really. I just thought, after what you told me the other night, you could do with cheering up.”  
  
Yana smiled- _Maker_ , that smile again- taking a bite out of one before offering the rest to him. Her face lit up and it was like the sun beaming through clouds, warming him just the same.  
  
"Ooh, they’re really good! You ought to try one too.” Alistair shook his head.  
  
“No, they’re for you. But thanks. I’ve never much cared for that sort of thing and besides, I’ve been told I’m sweet enough as it is.”  
  
“You are, aren’t you?” Yana said thoughtfully, wiping the crumbs from her mouth as she looked down at the parcel again. Then, she reached up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek before leaving him to stare after her as she walked across the camp to talk to Leliana.  
  
Alistair faintly touched his face, dazed.  
  
_You’re in deep now, Theirin_.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very good at placing these things within the in-game timeline, but I'd say they're en route to Redcliffe at this point. So fairly early on in their *blossoming* relationship. I might follow it up with Yana returning the favour at some point??


End file.
